A Young Hero
by Jacen200015
Summary: One youngling can change everything. Begins during ROTS when Anakin is in the Council room after Mace orders him to remain in the Temple.
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1**

Tohny-Qui opened the door to the Council chamber, his bright silver blue eyes looking around, searching for something, someone. There, his eyes fastened onto Anakin Skywalker who was standing straight with his hands clasped behind his back and as he faced the massive window. Something was wrong, so terribly wrong. Tohny-Qui wanted to just curl up in a corner and hide. The darkness, it was almost suffocating now.

Anakin turned slowly around to face him, and Tohny-Qui emitted a tiny gasp of surprise. His hero, the hero with no fear, was crying. Was it possible that the hero with no fear did feel fear? Biting his bottom lip, Tohny-Qui shuffled his feet, not sure if he should leave or stay.

Today was his tenth birthday, he was getting to old to run to an older person for comfort, or was he? Tohny-Qui thought and looked up into Anakin's cloudy blue eyes. Cloudy, where did the clear look go? The laughter in his eyes?

Tohny-Qui opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He looked toward the floor, his cheeks coloring. Maybe he should leave, later, there was always later. Isn't there?

"Do you need something young one?" Anakin asked.

"I…" Tohny-Qui paused, almost choking on a sob that came up his throat. Throwing aside everything about how a ten year old should behave according to his teachers, Tohny-Qui ran to Anakin and wrapped his arms around him in a tight embrace.

Stunned, Anakin managed to lower himself to the ground so that Tohny-Qui switched to hugging around Anakin's neck instead. Anakin felt the wet drops of tears on his shoulder as they soaked through his tunic, but did not move. When the child's crying did not cease, Anakin wrapped his arms around the boy and hugged him close.

Safe, that is what he felt, safe in the strong, muscled, arms of his hero. Tohny-Qui grabbed the back of Anakin's tunic with his hands, suddenly fearful that the security he felt would disappear.

Anakin placed his left hand on Tohny-Qui's head and ruffled his short, curly, blond, hair. "Things will turn out all right little one, don't be afraid."

Tohny-Qui just squeezed all the harder, almost choking Anakin in the process.

Anakin picked Tohny-Qui up and he went to sit down on one of the Council seats. He sat down and Tohny-Qui rested his head against Anakin's chest. "Would you like to tell me what's wrong?"

"It's dark, it's so dark." Tohny-Qui told him, lifting his head and looking into Anakin's eyes. "I'm scared. Can you make the darkness go away?"

Anakin was saved from responding when the door to the Council chamber opened again. Two four year olds ran into the room and attempted climb onto Anakin's already occupied lap. The girl managed to get on when Tohny-Qui shifted to make room for her and the boy settled for sitting at Anakin's feet instead. "Are you both scared too?" He asked them.

They nodded and shivered from a cold that came from the darkness that now permeated everywhere in the Council room.

Anakin forgot his anger at Mace as he tried to comfort the children with soothing words and caresses with the Force. The young ones trusted him, of all the Knights remaining in the Temple, these three had come to him.

The Council door was opened again and five younglings entered. They paused as the door shut behind them.

Anakin smiled at them and they managed smiles of their own. "Come and sit with us." Anakin invited them.

They did so and crowded around his chair and then the door opened again. This time two twelve year olds entered the room, somewhat nervously and sheepishly.

Chuckling Anakin said, "You never grow to old for comfort."

The two twelve year old boys laughed, still a bit uneasy, but they stepped forward and sat near Anakin's feet. Yeber, the four year old boy crawled onto one of the older boy's lap and laid his head against his chest.

As the door opened again, a small comm. unit that was embedded into the arm of the chair beeped and Tohny-Qui pressed the receive button so that Anakin could answer.

A small hologram appeared on the arm of the chair and before Anakin could say anything, the crèche Master spoke. "Ah, I see you've found my wayward charges. I hope they haven't been giving you any trouble. I'll see if I can free up someone to get them right away."

"They have not been a problem Master, you don't need to send anyone." Anakin told her.

"Alright, if you're sure, I've been getting reports of some of the younglings leaving their groups." The Crèche Master informed him.

Anakin nodded as five more children sat down as close as they could to him. "Well, it looks like they're all coming to the Council room, so I don't think you'll have to send out search parties."

The Crèche Master attempted to smile, but failed. "Good. I'm glad you're here Anakin, having a Council member here is reassuring."

The comm. went blank, just as another group of children walked in.

"It's going to get crowded in here." Tohny-Qui pointed out, a small smile twitching at his lips. "Oh, and my name is Tohny-Qui."

Anakin nodded in agreement when the door once again opened and this time a steady stream of children entered the room. Within a few minutes, the Council room was packed, with still more children outside the doors. A feeling of dread filled Anakin's stomach as a thought came to mind. If an attack took place right now, there would be no where for them to escape. The Council room had just become a perfect target for an attack.

"Can you both get off my lap please?" Anakin asked.

Tohny-Qui nodded and managed to get off Anakin's lap without stepping on anyone's fingers and then helped the little girl off of Anakin's lap.

Anakin stood up and took the four year old girl from Tohny-Qui and placed her on the chair. "Tohny-Qui, I want you to come with me."

"Okay." Tohny-Qui answered and they made their way out of the Council room to the turbolift where a seventeen year old Padawan had just come up in.

"Padawan Urit." Anakin said when he recognized the boy. "I need you to organize everyone up here into groups with at least two teens in a group of five to fifteen, depending on their ages. Then send each group to a meditation room with orders to stay on their guard for any possible danger. Don't alarm the younger ones."

Weber Urit took a deep breath and quietly asked, "Is the Temple going to be attacked?"

"I'm not sure, but it's best to be on guard for now." Anakin responded. "May the Force be with You."

"With you too Master Skywalker." Weber responded with a slight bow of his head.

Anakin and Tohny-Qui entered the turbolift and rode it down to the hanger area.

"Are we going to stop the darkness?" Tohny-Qui asked.

"Correction, I am going to. I need you to find Shaak Ti and tell her to contact as many Jedi as she can that are not in the Temple. They are to leave their troops and head back to the Temple and also to be wary of their troops." Anakin told him. "Once I leave, I want you to close and lock the hanger bay doors behind me and change the code by pressing the emergency button. While you're in the control room, get a hold of Gate Master Jurokk and tell him to lock the doors to the Temple and engage the lockdown procedures."

Anakin handed Tohny-Qui a comlink that he had grabbed from the Council room. Keep this on at all times. I'm going to keep mine on, so hopefully you'll be able to hear what is going on. If you hear something important, notify Shaak Ti immediately."

Tohny-Qui nodded. "Yes Master, I can do that."

"Good, then you had best get moving." Anakin told him. "May the Force be with You."

"With you too." Tohny-Qui replied and then ran to the control room. Once in the control room, he scanned the controls and found the ones he was looking for. As soon as Anakin was clear, Tohny-Qui closed and sealed the hanger bay doors and then pressed the button that would ensure that any intruder will have difficulty entering through the hanger bay.

Once that was done, Tohny-Qui made contact with the Gate Master and told him Master Skywalker's instructions. Thankfully Jurokk didn't question Anakin's orders even though Anakin was technically still a Knight.

Leaving the hanger bay, He went in search of Shaak Ti and after ten minutes found her in her quarters. "Master Shaak Ti." Tohny-Qui called, after he entered her quarters.

"What is so important young one that you had to enter without knocking?" Shaak Ti asked from her meditation position on the floor.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Master, but Knight Skywalker told me to tell you to contact all the Jedi that are away from the Temple and tell them to return to the Temple immediately. He also said for you to tell them to be wary of the clones."

Feeling the Force urging her to contact the Jedi now, Shaak Ti nodded her head. "Very well. Is there anything else that I need to know?"

"Gate Master Jurokk is putting the Temple into lockdown. Anakin has left the Temple, I am not sure where he is going. Oh, and Anakin gave me a comlink so that if there is anything we need to know then I'll be able to inform you." Tohny-Qui answered.

Shaak Ti stood up and headed for the comm. console. "Alright than…

"Tohny-Qui." He told her so that she could call him something other than young one.

"Tohny-Qui." Shaak Ti repeated. "Go find Master Cin Drallig and tell him that I said to gather those who can hold their own in a fight and put them at strategic places in the Temple. After that, go inform the healers to prepare for a possibility of a battle."

"Yes Master." Tohny-Qui replied and ran off to do as he was told. After he had finished talking to Cin Drallig and the Healers, he sat down in the corridor to take a few minutes to relax and center himself.

A sound drew his attention to his pocket, and Tohny-Qui remembered the comlink and took it out. He could hear voices, but they were very faint.

*"I will never join you, Palpatine."

"Then you will die along with the Jedi Order!"*

Tohny-Qui almost dropped the comlink in shock and quickly stood up. Seeing one of his crèche mates passing by, he ran over to him and shoved the comlink into his friend's hand. "Give this comlink to Shaak Ti, don't turn it off!" Then, leaving his baffled friend behind, Tohny-Qui ran down the corridor, down a set of stairs to a secret corridor he had found a year ago, that led outside of the Temple.

When he opened the door that would take him outside, Tohny-Qui felt a warning through the Force and quickly shut the door. The clones were trying to get into the Temple. He backed up a few steps and then began to look around for something to block the secret entrance, just in case the clones found it.

The footsteps sounded louder and he could hear the voices of the clones outside. The old corridor was bare and damp. There was nothing to block the door with, the door itself did not even have a lock.

"Oh, this is bad." Tohny-Qui muttered when an explosion sounded nearby. It had sounded like it came from the ground, so they must be using explosives. Tohny-Qui watched the door nervously, unsure how long it would hold out in the onslaught. If the clones were determined enough, they would set off explosives at every part of the walls of the Temple until they are able to find a weak spot and then exploit it. Hopefully the clones didn't have a map of the structure of the Temple.

An explosion sounded again, right at the door, and pieces of rock and dust fell, causing Tohny-Qui to cough. He didn't have a comlink handy, and the risk of going for help was to great. The clones must not be allowed to enter the Temple.

Drawing on the Force for calmness and strength, Tohny-Qui unhooked his lightsaber and ignited it. Standing in a defensive posture, Tohny-Qui waited as an explosion sounded again in the same spot. The clones had found the door.

Five minutes passed before the door gave way and as soon as the dust cleared the clone troopers began to fire on him. Tohny-Qui deflected every shot in smooth moves with his lightsaber and sent them back at the clones.

Dead clones began to fill up the entrance, but the clones were determined and continued coming at Tohny-Qui. He used the Force to help keep him going strong, but there were so many clones and he was beginning to tire. If one shot got passed him then he would be in trouble.

Tohny-Qui backed up until his back was at the door that led right into the Temple. "You will not pass!" He said in a loud, determined voice as the Force prompted him to swing his lightsaber at a spot on the ground and instantly a powerful spray of water clashed at the clones. The nicked pipe caused the plumbing in the rest of the passageway to go, and so rocks and water began to plummet at the troops.

Unfortunately the reaction caused Tohny-Qui to be distracted and one of the clones managed to get a shot at him. Tohny-Qui cried out and collapsed to his knees and then everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

"…_.still shooting at him when he went down."_

"_It's a miracle that he's still alive."_

Tohny-Qui drifted in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware of the hushed whispers around him.

"_Will he live?"_

"_We will do what we can."_

The voices faded away again and Tohny-Qui sank deeper into unconsciousness, into the dark recesses of his mind where he could not feel the pain.

~*~*~

Anakin sat by the young boy's side, quietly watching him.

Tohny-Qui's chest rose and fell with every breath that he took as he breathed through an oxygen mask. He was hooked up to various instruments that were helping to heal his body and were monitoring his vital signs.

A tear trailed down Anakin's cheek as he looked at the boy's pale face. Three days had passed since the attack on the Temple. Three days since he had faced the darkness. Three days since Tohny-Qui had unknowingly saved the Chosen One. Only three days, yet is seemed to have been much longer than that, much longer.

"Anakin."

Anakin turned his head toward the doorway and saw Obi-Wan. He managed a small smile as Obi-Wan came over to him. "Looks like I didn't have to save your hide this time, Master."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "So it seems." He grabbed a stool from a corner and sat down next to Anakin.

Anakin looked back at Tohny-Qui, his voice low as he spoke. "You weren't the one needing saving this time, Master."

Obi-Wan's face changed into a look of concern. He wasn't sure what was bothering him, was it what Anakin said, or was it the fact that Anakin kept calling him Master? "Do you want to talk about it?"

There was a long stretch of silence with the only noise being the steady beep of the heart-monitor.

"There were times I wished that I was really the 'hero with no fear'. But that is all it is, wishing. No one can escape reality by simply wishing for something. Fear is a natural emotion, everyone has it, even those considered heroes. It is what a person chooses to do with their fear that matters. I chose to bottle it up inside myself and at times pretended that it didn't exist." Anakin paused briefly before continuing. "I was afraid of a lot of things: losing those I love, having the Jedi reject me, making mistakes." Anakin shook his head and looked back at Obi-Wan. "It wasn't until I was in the council chamber with Tohny-Qui and some of the other children that I realized what I needed to do. I realized that I needed to let my fears go, that in order to save anyone, I would have to save myself, or risk losing everything. A drowning man cannot save a drowning man."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard and nodded thoughtfully. "Children do have a way of teaching us."

Anakin looked away from Obi-Wan again. "I was falling, master. Falling for a long time and I didn't even notice. I was blinded, being suffocated by the darkness. Another thing I learned, while fighting Palpatine, was that you can't defeat the darkness by battling against it. It seemed that with every strike I made against Palpatine, the darkness around and within me became stronger. I think I heard Qui-Gon's voice during the battle. He told me that the true nature of man is decided in the battle between the conscious mind and the desires of the subconscious and that the only way to win is to deny it battle."

Obi-Wan didn't know what to respond to first: Anakin's near fall to the darkside, hearing Qui-Gon, or what Qui-Gon told Anakin. His mind was spinning with everything Anakin was telling him.

A small smile appeared on Anakin's face. It wasn't often when his Master was speechless. "I know it's a lot to take in, and there's even more that I have not told you yet."

"Well it's a good thing that we have plenty of free time to talk right now." Obi-Wan responded. "And we do have a lot of things to talk about."

"Perhaps it would be best to wait until I make my report to the Council, at least, what's left of it." Anakin stated and looked back at Tohny-Qui. "It will take a long time to restore the Jedi Order to what it once was."

"Better than it was, I hope." Obi-Wan added.

Anakin nodded. "Yes." A look of curiosity crossed Anakin's face and he looked back at Obi-Wan. "Wait…you agree that changes need to be made to the order?"

Obi-Wan smiled. "I've known that changes needed to be made since I was a boy. The problem with knowing is that for someone who grew up in the Temple from a very young age, they have trouble seeing what those changes should be. It was only when you became my Padawan that I slowly discovered what those changes needed to be."

Anakin looked at Obi-Wan in surprise. "But, you've have always been strict about following the code."

"I wouldn't have been able to get on the Council if I kept butting heads with the Council, Anakin. Council members have a lot of influence and I have found that fellow council members seem to take each other more seriously than with non-council members. Plus, being on the Council gave me the chance to evaluate the condition of the order at the highest rank."

"And to think I thought I knew you very well." Anakin muttered, his sparkling eyes betraying his true feelings. Anakin looked back at Tohny-Qui when the heart monitor made an irregular beep before resuming its steady beeping. Anakin brushed Tohny-Qui's bangs away from his sweaty forehead and lightly probed his body with the Force. Tohny-Qui's wounds were slowly healing, but there was still a chance his condition could deteriorate.

"How is he doing?" Obi-Wan asked.

"He's not in critical condition anymore, but his injuries are still very serious." Anakin paused and took Tohny-Qui's small, right hand into his own hand. "The healers said that from the looks of it, the troopers kept firing at him after he fell. He also got some injuries from falling rocks, and he had a little bit of water in his lungs. How he is still alive after that, I have no idea."

"I don't know either. Perhaps it's just not his time yet." Obi-Wan stood up. "I've got to go make my report to the Council. I'm sure the Council will summon you either today or tomorrow."

Anakin nodded. "Be sure to tell them that I have a lot of things to report."

"I will." Obi-Wan answered and then left the room.

Letting go of Tohny-Qui's hand, Anakin prepared himself to go into a meditation trance, one that he had avoided doing after everything that had happened. Closing his eyes, Anakin drew on the Force and began to go through all of his pent up emotions.

Seconds drifted into minutes and minutes drifted into hours as Anakin meditated. Anakin's meditation was interrupted when he felt a tremor in the Force and heard a child crying. Anakin opened his eyes and saw that Tohny-Qui was still asleep, but his face indicated that he was in distress.

Closing his eyes again, Anakin reached out to Tohny-Qui in the Force and used the Force to send soothing caresses to the child. The instant he came close to Tohny-Qui's mind, Anakin was pulled into Tohny-Qui's dream. In the dream the Temple was engulfed in flames and bodies of slain Jedi and clones littered the hallways. The only sign of life was himself and the sound of crying.

Anakin walked quickly toward the source to the place where Tohny-Qui had been found. Anakin dug through the rubble and found Tohny-Qui curled up in a fetal position. "Tohny-Qui." Anakin called. "You're safe now, it's just a dream."

Tohny-Qui turned his head to look at Anakin and wiped at his tear stricken face with his hand. "A dream?" He looked doubtfully at Anakin and then shook his head. "No, no, not a dream. The Temple was attacked."

"Yes, yes the Temple was attacked, but you're safe now. You're in the healers ward." Anakin explained. "Sidious is dead."

Tohny-Qui chewed on his lower lip and hugged his knees closer to his chest, "I'm scared."

Anakin crawled into the opening and wrapped his arm around the boy. "You are a very brave boy and you will be a great Jedi someday."

Tohny-Qui shrugged his shoulders and cuddled into Anakin's side.

"Now, I think you should be dreaming of something more pleasant." Anakin suggested.

"Like what?" Tohny-Qui asked. "Thinking about anything related to the Temple brings me here. I can't stop thinking about the attack."

Anakin sighed and decided to give Tohny-Qui a little help. Concentrating, the scene around them vanished and was replaced with lush green grass, clear blue skies and a sparkling lake in the distance.

Tohny-Qui's eyes grew wide at the sight. He had never been off Coruscant before and had only seen places like this in pictures. "Where are we?"

"This is a place on Naboo. I have fond memories of this place." Anakin answered as a light warm breeze tousled his hair.

"I like it." Tohny-Qui replied, finally beginning to relax.

They sat there in comfortable silence, listening to the sounds of birds flying overhead.

"I would like to come here for real someday." Tohny-Qui commented.

"Perhaps you will." Anakin responded with a warm smile.

"Now that the war's over, are you going to take a Padawan?" Tohny-Qui asked.

Anakin slowly shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not."

Tohny-Qui looked up at Anakin's face. "Why not? You would be a good teacher."

Anakin looked toward the lake, avoiding the young boy's gaze. "It's complicated."

Tohny-Qui frowned, but didn't say anything else.

"I'm sure that you'll be chosen by somebody." Anakin assured him.

"I guess." Tohny-Qui mumbled halfheartedly.

Anakin slipped out of Tohny-Qui's dream and then resumed his meditation.


End file.
